Ever since the closing of Los Cuatro Amigos in the old Family Buggy spot on Rochester Rd., our search was on for a local Mexican restaurant. To our surprise and delight, Miguels Cantina opened soon after in the same location.

We had an opportunity to have lunch at Miguels Cantina the other day and review the restaurant.

First and foremost, Miguels Cantina has nothing at all to do with the previous Mexican restaurant, Los Cuatro Amigos. Miguels Cantina is all new, with all new owners, an entirely redesigned interior, and a menu all its own. 

The background of experience for the Miguels Cantina owners is a great mix: the previous owners of Baja Fresh and native Mexicans who used to work at Senor Frogs in Mexico. The strategy to bring authentic Mexican cuisine to Rochester Hills was well-planned. Previous owners of the Baja Fresh at Village Square Mall decided they wanted a unique, sit-down Mexican food experience. They partnered with the manager and a Chef (Chef Pedro) from the original Senor Frog's in Mazatlan on the Pacific Coast near Baja.

Miguels Cantina seats 160 people and is quite colorful. One Miguels Cantina room has a cozy fireplace for the cold months, and another has a roll top garage door on a main wall to give an outdoor feel during the warmer months. The overall Miguels Cantina design continues into the restroom with colorfully painted flowery sinks and picture frames. The restaurant and restrooms are both very clean.

Miguels Cantina menu offers the Mexican favorites, with the most popular dish being the Plato De Miguel - a great combination plate including carne asada, carnitas, and a chille relleno. Everything is fairly priced and proudly made with quality ingredients. One of the first things we noticed about our Miguels Cantina food were the huge chunks of beef and chicken in the entrees. There was no skimping here, and the large chunks of flavorful meat were much better than shredded, hard to find, blander pieces.

One of the most interesting and unique moments was when they showed us how they make the Miguels Cantina salsa table-side (during dinner hours). The wait staff are all trained to prepare fresh salsa at your table, just how you like it. They use roasted tomatoes and peppers, and spice it up just right for you. This was fun to watch, and the salsa was so fresh.

Miguels Cantina is also a fun place for birthday celebrations. The staff comes to your table banging pots and pans, singing in Spanish and then finishing with a good old American rendition of Happy Birthday; all while you get to don one of their sombrero's, allowing for several photo opportunities for you and your guests:).

We finished our lunch with a serving of Miguels Cantina Mexican fried ice cream. It was a HUGE scoop of vanilla ice cream coated with a flaky crust, fried, and topped with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a cherry. If our kids were with us, they would have been given the fun set of Miguel's Cantina moraccas before leaving. I guess we'll have to go back and bring them with us next time!

Miguel's Cantina
248-453-5371
870 S. Rochester Rd.
Rochester Hills, Michigan 48307
www.eatatmiguels.com (their menu can be found on their website)

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